EFCC’s poor financial status, sign of FG’s failure in fight against corruption - Lagos Assembly

LAGOS State House of Assembly said on Tuesday that the danger over the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) poor financial status was that President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration was fast losing war against corruption in the country.

The assembly said this in a statement issued by the Chairman, Committee on Information, Strategy, Security and Publicity, Honourable Segun Olulade, noting that if a leading anti-graft agency like EFCC could be starved of funds, it was obvious that the government was not serious and sincere at fighting corruption as often claimed.

The parliament reacted to the statement credited to the commission’s secretary, Mr Emmannuel Adegboyega, that the agency could not meet up with its obligations any more due to lack of funds.

“It is now obvious that if Nigerians are looking forward to a society free of corruption, there is no hope of getting that in this present administration. The present government is starving anti-graft agency of funds and loosening its purse for those who are loyal and committed to personal political ambition of Mr President,” the assembly said.

“This administration must renew its commitment to Nigerians on fight against corruption or the National Assembly intervenes to do the needful as Nigerians cannot continue to endure with government that deliberately chose to take a cause inimical to the growth of the nation, staying on the cause perpetually in spite of cries of the citizenry for a better life,” the statement said.

The Assembly, however, noted that the EFCC had not been fighting corruption in the real sense of it, saying that the agency was playing the cards of the government at clamping on opposition and could not, therefore, be effective as such in it war against the malaise.

“The agency is playing the cards of the government at clamping on opposition and cannot be effective as such; the agency cannot be transparent in its activities to prosecute criminals if it is broke from time to time; the agency is vulnerable and can compromise if it lacks funds.

“All these have to be addressed by Mr President rather than keeping mute on every serious issue raised about management of the country.

“If EFCC has only N2million left in its account, and has been crying for funds over the time, and people it is meant to prosecute are stealing billions of dollars freely right in the nose of the government, it becomes obvious that the government itself finds corruption a sine qua non to its existence; and that will be too bad for our country,” the statement said.
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